The Dynamics of Lonely by Nikita Gill

On a midnight walk, in a forest full of stars, I reconsider the way lonely works.

How it gets into the bones of children who grow up to be adults with abandonment issues because of an absent parent.

How it hardens the hearts of people who use it to block someone out of a group.

How the cruelest places use lonely as a punishment through solitary confinement.

And how we spend our days watching clocks in forlorn buildings, waiting for when we can go home to the warmth of love.

All this to divide us and conquer. A wolf left alone in the wild is easy prey, too. That's why wolves live in packs.

They know that community keeps every wolf healthier and safer, each one fulfilling a duty to the other, protecting and nurturing their young to be better.

Our strength then lies in numbers. We are wildflowers, designed to weather storms and grow in places no one expects us, rising and thriving together.

— Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill (Page 57)